WHO WE ARE
Our programs operate under the umbrella of Bare Hill Rowing Association, Inc., a 501(c) (3) non-profit recreational and educational organization. The Middle School Sculling and High School Programs are known as Bromfield Acton-Boxborough (BAB) Rowing. BAB Rowing is a public school rowing program, long-standing member of the Massachusetts Public School Rowing Association and a USRowing member organization. Eighth graders and above are eligible for these two programs. A Learn to Row program is offered to eligible 6th and 7th grade Bromfield students.
Rowing is not an MIAA sport. We operate as an independent club with the Bromfield School as the principal school.
WHO MAY JOIN?
Our members must be full-time students at the Bromfield School, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, R.J. Grey Junior High School or Harvard resident students who attend a publicly funded charter, technical or vocational school.
We work diligently to recruit students from our participant schools while trying to maintain the composition of our team at a ratio of 51% Bromfield/Harvard resident students and 49% Acton-Boxborough students, per agreement with the Town of Harvard. Bromfield/Harvard resident athletes are not required to try-out for the team. New Acton-Boxborough athletes wishing to join the high school team may be required to participate in a try-out period.
Athletes for our scholastic rowing programs must meet these eligibility requirements:
PROGRAMS
EXPECTATIONS
Rowing development is a progression based on the age and the social and physical maturity of the athlete. It is designed to promote wellness and longevity in the sport. Members must be willing to commit to 1 day a week (Learn to Row), 3 days a week (Middle School Sculling) and 5+ days a week including afternoon practices and weekend dates for racing (high school).
A rowing team has two very important and very different types of seats to fill, the rower and the coxswain. Primarily responsible for boat navigation and steering, the coxswain plays a key role in the leadership and success of a crew. Coaches will look for taller athletes to fill the rowers’ seats and smaller, lighter athletes to fill the coxswain seats. A member may start out as a coxswain but in future years outgrow the position and move to a rower’s spot.
At the Middle School level, all athletes will be trained to row and cox. Every athlete participates in land physical training and erging and will be taught to row as well. Decisions about which seat each athlete sits in are made in the best interest of the team and at the coaches’ discretion.
SEASON DETAILS
Middle School (MS) and High School programs: Fall racing involves longer distance events called "head racing" where boats start single file and race against the clock. Training routines and race preparation for both fall and spring seasons are the same. We also offer optional winter conditioning programs for our 8th grade and high school athletes.
Learn to Row program: Our goal is to offer a fun fitness program that includes learning to row. Offered 6 Saturdays for 2 hours per session, the actual activity time will be split into three sections: 20 minutes of a land activity, a snack break while our varsity team volunteers share some of their fun rowing experiences and 45 minutes learning the basics of rowing. The set-up/take-down of equipment and transition time between instruction has been included in the overall time.
We want the time commitment for the kids to be fun, allow for a wider variety of activities, access to more equipment and makes it easier for parents to schedule our unique program for their child. The season ends with an inter-squad fun race at the pond.